Viewing Tennessee wildlife in open areas—such as Cataloochee and Cades Cove—offers some of the best opportunities to see white-tailed deer, black bear, raccoon, turkeys, woodchucks and other animals. Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail’s narrow, winding road encourages motorists to travel at a leisurely pace, sometimes yielding at sightings of bear and other wildlife. Winter wildlife is more visible when deciduous trees have lost their leaves.

You may find it advantageous to look for wildlife during morning and evening. Some people like to sit quietly beside a trail, watching for wildlife. Look up and scan the trees. Many animals spend their days among the branches.

Try an eco-cruise through the Chickamauga Lock in Chattanooga. Enjoy the colorful, breathtaking beauty of the 27,000-acre canyon carved out by 26 miles of the Tennessee River over thousands of years. Cruising the fourth largest river canyon east of the Mississippi will show you the diverse landscape of the gorge which provides habitats for more than a thousand varieties of plants, ferns, trees, grasses and flowers as well as a rich wildlife population. Nearly 200 different species of birds inhabit “Tennessee’s Grand Canyon.”